“The majority of the transplant patients find the MedActionPlan schedule very useful when they have questions about medications. Post-op transplant patient’s medication dosages may change twice weekly, and sometimes this becomes overwhelming for them to keep up with. We teach the patients how to use MedActionPlan and MyMedSchedule.com effectively. If the patient does not have computer access, they may grant family members permission to log on to their medication lists to view and print changes. Patients are also provided a hard print copy in their education binders.”

How we continue to help and teach our patients:

“We are encouraged to provide our patients with teaching and disease information within our specialty of heart failure and lung disease. Using approved medical websites, like MedActionPlan, we recommend that our patients come in for follow-up counseling and educational courses. MedActionPlan is used for this medication teaching and has shown to result in improved medication compliance.”

—Carolyn Q Alexander RN BSN
Cardiothoracic Transplant Coordinator
Baylor University Medical Center 

“An old-fashioned checklist has the potential to keep patients with heart failure out of the hospital — and save Medicare billions of dollars, a small new study suggests.”

USA Today reports that a new study has shown that a simple checklist can significantly reduce the number of patients who are readmitted to a hospital within a month compared to regular discharge instructions. This cost effective patient education tool leads to improved compliance with medication therapy and helps save money and improve patient care.

Read the article here. 

“Our pre- and post- lung transplant patients with Cystic Fibrosis have found MedActionPlan and MyMedSchedule very beneficial in staying on top of their medication & inhalation regimens. MyMedSchedule provides a great way for tech-savvy young patients to take ownership of their medication regimens by keeping the medication list up-to-date, having it text their cell phones to remind them to take medications and to print wallet-sized lists to keep with them at all times.”

Lisa Fuller, PharmD, BCPS
Cardiothoracic/Transplant Clinical Pharmacist
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Phoenix, AZ

”MedActionPlan and MyMedSchedule have been a great fit for our families. Cystic Fibrosis is a complicated disease with even more complicated medications and therapies. Having a Med Schedule allows for our families and patients to incorporate scheduling of their medications with phone reminders, and helps them to learn about dosages and contraindications to their therapies. The MedActionPlan Schedule provides great graphics of the medication, which is important for families and young patients who have difficulty with reading. MedActionPlan and MyMedSchedule can empower both the patient and family to take responsibility and be invested in their healthcare.”

—Stasia, RN, BSN
Cystic Fibrosis Coordinator 

Are you a pharmacist? Do you think that MedActionPlan™ (MAP) makes a positive difference in the transition to home? Does MAP improve patient outcomes and help to reduce readmissions? If so—fill out this 20 minute questionnaire. Must complete by January 18, 2012.

ASHP and APhA launched a new initiative to improve transitions in care from acute care to home settings. The groups are seeking examples of innovative care models that improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions by involving pharmacists in medication-related transitions of care. The deadline to submit a model for consideration is January 18, 2012.

Two recent surveys demonstrate the value of MedActionPlan.com (MAP), a family of powerful, web-based programs that provide the health care industry with tools to educate and empower patients to become partners in their own health care. Specifically, MAP enables health care providers (HCPs) to easily create detailed, personalized treatment plans in patient-friendly language. These plans are of particular importance in transplant patients, as studies have shown that medication errors in this setting are common and often lead to significant adverse events and failed allografts.

To assess the value of MAP, the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) asked 52 HCPs about their experience using this tool. The results, presented by Beth Kassalen, MBA, executive director of ITNS, at the 2011 American Transplant Congress (ATC) conference, indicated that more than 94% of respondents agreed that this tool improved patient care and medication adherence at their facility. Participants commented, “I have caught mistakes that patients are making at home much more frequently,” and, “there is a decreased incidence of patients taking incorrect doses of medications since we began using this program.”

Increasing patient understanding is the key to improved adherence. Over 98% of survey participants agreed that MAP improved patient understanding of their medication regimen. One respondent said, “patients understand and interpret their medication schedules better...there is less confusion.” The tool bundles all essential information about medications, dosing, dosing intervals, and special instructions into one patient-friendly package. The materials were designed using adult health literacy principles and include full-color pill pictures, easy-to-understand charts, and clear instructions written in everyday language (either English or Spanish). In the words of one survey participant:

“No other module even comes close to MedActionPlan.com for simplifying medication regimens for our patients who take 10+ prescriptions/day.“

MAP also helps providers educate their patients. One survey participant commented, “I am more successful with teaching using MedActionPlan.com.” The availability of MAP outputs in both English and Spanish was highly rated, as was the easy-to-read layout, wallet size and large typeface.

Patients echo the value of MAP, as evidenced by a survey of 54 transplant patients who use MAP at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. Results of survey, presented by Ashley Feist, PharmD at the 2011 conference of the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplant (ISHLT), demonstrated that, with MAP, more than 71% of patients agreed that their memory for important medical information has improved and only 7.5% felt nervous when a health care provider asked them to remember something about their medication regimen.

One patient said, “Everywhere I go with my medicine list, they are impressed. I would be lost without it. It helps keep me organized.” Other respondents agreed, as nearly 95% brought their MAP printouts to their most recent medical appointment. MAP also aids patient-provider communication, as 82% of survey participants agreed that the medication schedule made it easier to talk about their medicines. Alexander Aussi, BSN, RN, MBA, Director, Center for Transplantation at UCSD, concurs and states, “MAP leads to better communication between patients and transplant health care providers.”

Better communication and better outcomes are the reasons that MAP was developed. Tim Peters, President of MedActionPlan.com, LLC, emphasizes the company’s commitment to health education programs that increase patient understanding and adherence. Mr. Peters credits the dedication of health care professionals, commenting, “It’s exciting to work with so many hard-working providers who strive every day to make a difference in the lives of their patients.” MAP, which is currently used in over 80% of transplant facilities throughout the U.S., is an example of the power of such collaboration. One provider surveyed summed it up by saying, “[MAP] is an excellent tool for patients and really allows them to feel like they can manage their medications.”

About MedActionPlan.com, LLC

For nearly 30 years, Tim Peters, president, has specialized in pioneering health education programs that increase patient understanding. In 2005, MedActionPlan.com was introduced to provide the health care industry with innovative resources that utilize cutting-edge technology and proven health literacy principles to empower patients to become active partners in their health care. Kate Ventura, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania said, “MAP is an excellent patient education tool that serves as a great resource for teaching the patient about their medication therapy.”

MedActionPlan.com works closely with health care providers, patients and industry experts to ensure that each program is reliable, easy to use, and helps improve patient care and health outcomes.

MedActionPlan.com is currently used by over 80% of the transplant facilities in the US as their primary patient health literacy tool. At the May 2011 conference, doctors, pharmacists and nurses from some of these transplant facilities joined Tim Peters and Donna Brooten to discuss their current usage of the program and to suggest enhancements  to continue making MedActionPlan.com their primary patient education tool for improving health outcomes.

Some of the healthcare professionals sharing their ideas with MedActionPlan.com were representing these facilities: Tampa General, University of Utah, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Columbia-New York Presbyterian, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University Hospital, Vanderbilt University Hospital, Children’s Mercy, UCSD, USC, Stanford, Hahnemann, Cleveland Clinic, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lahey Clinic. MedActionPlan.com is committed to continuing to make their program the number one resource for hospitals and clinics to improve adherence  and keep their patients healthy.

Karen McCandless, CRNP, BSN, MSN (left) and Shelly Beitler, RN, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia discuss educational programs with Tim Peters.

Beth Martin, FNP-BC from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (center), discussed improved patient safety with MedActionPlan’s Tim Peters and Donna Booten. 

Auto Dose Calculation from MedActionPlan

The dosing of oral liquid medications, from the same household spoon by different persons, can result in a dose variation of up to 4 mL¹. This variation can lead to serious dosing errors. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended oral dosing syringes as the preferred method of administering these medications.² One study showed that 100% of parents who were given a syringe, with a line marked at the correct dose and a demonstration of the correct dose, were able to administer oral liquid medications correctly and accurately.³

Now, you can provide a “virtual” marked syringe and demonstration with Auto Dose Calculation from MedActionPlan.com. With Auto Dose Calculation, all you need to do is enter the medication name and prescribed dose in milligrams—the correct dose in milliliters is calculated automatically and a printable chart is generated that shows a syringe prefilled with the selected mL dose. The syringe image can help caregivers visualize the dosing process and understand how to administer the correct dose of oral liquid medication with an oral dosing syringe. This new auto dosing function will help improve patient compliance and medication safety, said Heidi Trinkman, PharmD, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Fort Worth, Texas.

MedActionPlan for Pediatrics has more than 125 oral liquid medications and over 100 institutional compounds in its database. Hospitals are able to create medication schedules with pill images, pill dosage and quantity for their patients. MedActionPlan is HIPAA-compliant and is available at no charge to qualified healthcare providers.

References:

1. Madlon-Kay D, Mosch FS. Liquid medication dosing errors. J Fam Pract. 2000;49:741-744.
2. Committee on Drugs. Inaccuracies in administering liquid medication. Pediatrics. 1975;56:37-328.
3. McMahon SR, Rimsza ME, Bay RC. Parents can dose liquid medication accurately. Pediatrics. 1997;100(3 Pt 1):330-333.

Pharmacy Practice News looks at Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults through Safe Transitions) and its success in reducing the 30-day readmission rate at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The program uses MedActionPlan to provide patients at discharge with an easy-to-read dosing schedule.

Read more at Pharmacy Practice News. 

A study by the University of California at San Diego Center for Transplantation examined the benefits of adding a pharmacist to their transplant programs, and the process of medication reconciliation. Several initiatives, including the use of MedActionPlan, were found to improve the safety and quality of care for patients. In addition, implementing MedActionPlan helps facilities meet the Medication Reconciliation requirement of the National Patient Safety Goals.

Read more about this study.